Chicken thighs (boneless skinless) in the oven

 How have I not shared this easiness?  What is now years ago I was looking for something (probably easy) to do with chicken thighs and found this on TheKitchn.  I will copy and paste their instructions at the bottom, but really, I just go the laziest easiest route I can with these, and I'm always happy with them.  Maybe one of these days I'll try the sauce.

Preheat the oven to 425 and in the pan (I use a 7x11) I place the chicken thighs, drizzle with some olive oil, and season with some salt, some pepper, and a Penzey's seasoning (in this picture I used Fox Point).  Mix with hands and add a bit more seasoning if you think it needs it.  Bake for 20 minutes or more until temp is 165.  Around the time it's almost done, start some veggies in the microwave and let the chicken rest  a bit (I don't really hit ten minutes like it says).

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil

For the sauce (optional):

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Pinch red pepper flakes

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EQUIPMENT

• Bowls
• Spoon
• Whisk
• 9-inch or 8-inch baking dish
• Aluminum foil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oven and season the chicken. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 425°F. Place the chicken in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. The most basic seasoning that this meat really needs is salt and pepper. At this point, if I'm not adding another sauce, I drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the meat too, to help it brown well in the oven.

2. Make a sauce (optional). Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl.

3. Toss the chicken with the sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken and toss to combine.

4. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish. Place the chicken in a single layer in an 8- or 9-inch baking dish. No need to grease the dish, just lay the chicken inside.

5. Roast the chicken. Boneless, skinless thighs cook quickly. Roast until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165°F, about 20 minutes. If they are not ready, continue roasting and checking the temperature every 5 minutes.

6. Rest the chicken. Remove the baking dish from the oven, cover with aluminum foil, and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. This will help it be more tender. Eat and enjoy!

Pet Pill Pockets

For about the last 3 years I've spent at least one day a week at Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary. This rescue helps 200-300 golden retrievers, flat coat retrievers and their bonded friends find medical care and furever homes every year. We adopted Loki from Homeward Bound when she was just three months old. Isn't she cute?

Anyway, I'm on the evening feeding crew where we dole out food, water and medicine to 20-45 dogs every day, twice a day. We're kind of like lunch ladies for dogs. As you can imagine we go through a lot of pill pockets. Cases and cases in fact! So when I read an email newsletter article from Dr. Jon from Pet Place about homemade pill pockets, I knew I had to try them.

Homemade Liverwurst Pill Pockets
Ingredients:

3/4 cup plain shredded wheat cereal

3 ounces Liverwurst (room temperature)

2 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)

Instructions:

Place shredded wheat in a bag and crush by using a rolling pin

Mix liverwurst and cream cheese together until smooth

Mix with shredded wheat

Roll into small balls (the size of gum drops)

Store in the refrigerator in a re-sealable plastic bag or container

Treats will last about 7 to 10 days

When it's time for your dog to take his medicine, simply take a "dough" ball and hide the pill in the center. Then offer it to your dog like a treat.

I emailed the owners/operators of the rescue and got the OK to use the dogs as pill pocket guinea pigs. So the night before my scheduled volunteer shift, I made up a triple batch of homemade pill pockets. Loki was already in bed for the night but the aroma of liverwurst lured our lazy cat all the way from an upstairs bedroom. I have a feeling these puppies will work for kitties, too. They were super easy to make as I wore gloves to keep my hands clean. I rolled them out onto a parchment-paper covered cookie sheet then stored them in the fridge for the night.

One of the sad realities of dog rescue is that more often than not, we take in dogs that have been used for breeding and not used to being around people. Golden retrievers are often called "velcro dogs" because of their close bonds with people. But dogs used by irresponsible breeders come to us shy, scared, and often hungry. They stay at the ranch long enough to get some TLC, a clean bill of health and enough social skills to find their furever home. Consider Rescue, it's the compassionate choice.

Anyway, one of these breeder rescue dogs was one of our first customers of the night. When my volunteer partner Bev (whom we refer to as OUR Dog Whisperer) called out for a stinky, yummy treat to lure out our beautiful but scared breeder dog, I grabbed a homemade pill pocket and handed it to her. The dog instantly picked up the scent and started to peek her nose out of her kennel. Three homemade pill pockets later and Pearl, our breeder dog, was happily walking on a leash. SUCCESS!

We used the pill pockets throughout the rest of the feeding and left the rest for the other feeding crews. When I went back the next week, there was a note waiting for me requesting more homemade pill pockets. Not only did they work great for pills, the other feeders found they worked miracles in helping teach shy and scared dogs that these people were worth trusting, if just to get another tasty liverwurst treat.

Sounds to me like a keeper. Just like Loki...my own golden retriever who's now grown up. She's looking forward to helping me make my next batch of pill pockets. She gives them four paws up.

Linguine with Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Fresh Basil

This dish is a summertime staple in our house.  I make it AT LEAST once a week, sometimes more!  It is quick, simple, fresh and delicious.  I also make it during the winter to remind us of summer dinners al fresco on the patio!

This recipe was originally based on something I saw in Woman's Day several years ago.  I've tweaked it so much, it isn't even the same recipe anymore!

Linguine with Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Fresh Basil

1/2 pound linguine
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 pint grape tomatotes, halved
1 small can black olives, drained and sliced
7 large leaves of fresh basil, coarsely chopped (the dry stuff will NOT work with this recipe!)
1 8oz brick of mozarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I prefer Kraft)

1.  Boil linguine according to package directions.  Drain but do NOT rinse.  (It is not necessary to rinse pasta.  I don't know why people do it.)  Return to pan.

2.  Combine olive oil, garlic, pepper, tomatoes, black olives, and basil in a medium bowl.  Pour mixture into the pan with cooked linguine.  Toss to combine.

3.  Serve in individual pasta bowls.  Top with cheese cubes.  (If you mix the cheese cubes into the linguine, they will get just a teeny bit melty.) Serve immediately.

NOTE:  If you are storing leftovers overnight, do NOT mix cheese into the linguine.  The olive oil will break down the cheese and make it...strange...

Ham and Cheese Pasta Bake

I adore this recipe. Found it on allrecipes.com. It's easy to make since the pasta cooks while it bakes. And I use the minced garlic from the jar and buy the cubed ham from the market. If you're going the easy route, might as well go all the way! This last time I tried switching the pasta to penne (not that you can see it with all the cheese in the picture), and some of the pasta was a bit more al dente than it should've been, but it was still tasty.

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package rotini pasta
1 (26 ounce) jar onion and garlic spaghetti sauce
1 pound thickly sliced honey baked ham, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine dry pasta, spaghetti sauce, ham, garlic, onion powder and pepper. Fill sauce jar with water, and pour over mixture. Mix well, and spoon into 9x13 inch casserole dish. Cover tightly with foil.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes. Carefully remove foil, then sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.